Parietal headache: causes and treatment

 The relationship of exercise to the mental health

Many people are keen to exercise just to have a healthy body, but they know very little about the benefits of exercise. It not only improves physical health but also reflects mental health.

According to a study conducted by Julia Basso and Wendy Suzuki of the New York University Center for Neuroscience, exercise is very effective in reducing signs of major depression because it has a positive effect on the body and is also known as one of the leading antidepressants.1

In addition, exercise helps regulate essential hormones in the brain, contributing to improved memory and concentration, improving cognitive function, enabling healthy sleep, and promoting overall brain health. Unlike other parts of the body, the brain does not have actual muscles, but it is known that exercise is necessary to continue its function.

Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that exercise is a form of treatment for many mental health problems. There are several ways to show how exercise affects the brain.

1- Improves mood

According to research by Basu and Suzuki, exercise causes immediate changes in the levels of certain hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin, which play a role in improving mood, giving you a sense of well-being.

2- Improves sleep

Studies have shown that 150 minutes of exercise per week can help a person get better sleep by lowering stress and anxiety levels. Therefore, people suffering from insomnia are often suggested to introduce exercise into their lives to improve the quality of their sleep.

3-Reduces stress and anxiety

Exercise regulates a special type of hormone called endocannabinoids that help reduce anxiety and stress, giving the person satisfaction, euphoria and a sense of security, and the results of a scientific study published by the journal All Wiley about couples exercising together say that they are happier and more satisfied.

4- Protects against degenerative diseases.

A joint American-Chinese study, the results of which were published in the British Medical Journal BMJ, proved that exercising every day reduces the risk of recurring diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease by improving blood flow in the brain, and helping it work and grow well.

5-Improve cognition

In the same context, experiments have proven that physical exercise is a powerful genetic modulator that leads to functional and structural changes in the brain to improve the cognitive function and well-being of a person.

6-Enhance memory

According to a study conducted by the US National Center for Biotechnology Information, exercise helps activate the vestibular system, a sensory organ that contributes to movement and a sense of balance, which helps bring about changes in brain areas such as the hippocampus and parietal cortex involved in memory.

7-Improve focus

A joint study conducted by scientists from Okra and the University of Illinois found that, based on experiments conducted on people aged 18 to 25 years, increasing physical fitness with exercise was more efficient and associated with the accuracy of a person's rapid response behavior. This contributes to improving the ability to concentrate.

8- Increases the size of the hippocampus

Aging reduces the size of the hippocampus, causing memory problems and dementia. Studies have shown that the volume of the hippocampus and medial lobes is larger in adults who exercise or participate in a variety of physical activities.

9-Enhancing creativity

According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, exercises such as aerobics and "aerobics" can help promote creative thinking by promoting positive moods in exercisers. However, there is no conclusive evidence for these findings and more future research is needed.

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